Man Shot By West Virginia State Trooper in Mercer County - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

Man Shot By West Virginia State Trooper in Mercer County Identified

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PRINCETON, W.Va. (AP) -

West Virginia State Police said a Georgia man killed by a trooper had vowed he wouldn't be arrested again.

Sgt. Michael Baylous said Stephen Lawrence Knight, 31, of Villa Rica, Ga., had prior arrests in Georgia and Florida on drug and other charges.

Baylous tells media outlets that a witness told investigators Knight had said he would do whatever was possible to avoid another arrest.

Trooper J.R. Coburn fatally shot Knight on Saturday night after the man grabbed a Bluefield police officer's gun during a struggle and refused to drop the weapon.

The struggle followed a chase that began when Bluefield police arrested Knight during a traffic stop.

He was handcuffed inside a police cruiser but moved his hands in front of him, climbed into the driver's seat and fled.